Shea butter, although a relatively new cosmetic product in the market, has been widely used by African for hundreds of years. It is the yellowish fats obtained from the Shea tree's nut and contain many vitamins such as Vitamin A, B and F which are excellent for your skin.
Picture taken from bellaearth.net
Vitamin A is essential for the rejuvenation of the skin. It also is a very strong antioxidant which combats the free radicals in your skin which helps improve wrinkles and lines on the skin. In addition, it can prevent acne by reducing sebum production.
Vitamin E is another very strong antioxidant which has similar properties to that of vitamin A. In addition, Vitamin E also contains anti-inflammatory, anti-UV, moisturizing properties. Therefore you tend to find it in many sunscreen lotions, cosmetics, moisturizing products etc.
Vitamin F is basically your omega 3 and 6. Its main role in this context is to repair your skin cells and generate new ones. People with Vitamin F deficiency often find themselves having dry skin or eczema.
For people with Eczema, Jin's Health tips recommend that you try Shea butter as your body wash. It moisturizes your skin well and hence prevents irritation of your skin. It also penetrates deep into your skin to keep your skin moisturized for a longer period of time.
Just a tip on choosing your Shea butter. Generally it comes in two kinds: raw or processed. The raw ones are the best but it has a natural smell which might be unpleasant to some. Most people are actually fine with the smell actually. Otherwise you could still try the processed one which is a tad whitish in color. However the more processed it is, the less vitamins you will get.
If you have any queries, please feel free to email Jin's Health tips at tanjinlin@gmail.com
